1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a structure and a method for efficiently fixing an instrument, such as a meter unit, to an automotive instrument panel and at the same time connector-connecting the instrument with one and the same bolt.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIGS. 19 to 21 show a conventional connecting and fixing structure for instruments as proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 8-22491, in which an instrument, meter unit 100, is mounted in an instrument panel 101 as shown in FIG. 19 and connector-connected to a not-shown wiring harness on the instrument panel side.
The meter unit 100 is provided with fixed connectors 102, and the instrument panel 101 is inside a meter mount portion 103 thereof provided with movable connectors 104 in opposition to the fixed connectors 102. A bolt 115 is tightened to couple the fixed connectors 102 to the movable connectors 104. The meter unit 100 and the instrument panel 101 are each provided with four upper and lower fixing brackets 106 and 107, into which are threaded bolts 105 to fix the meter unit 100 to the instrument panel 101.
FIG. 20 shows the state in which the meter unit 100 has been fixed to the instrument panel 101, with the fixed connector 102 engaged in a preliminary locked position with the movable connector 104. The movable connector 104 is supported on a panel portion 108 via resilient arms 109 to be vertically and laterally movable, and via resilient arms 111 to be forwardly and rearwardly movable, and is preliminarily locked via projections 110 on the resilient arms 109 to the panel portion 108. The movable connector 104 has male connector portions 112 each vertically and laterally movably supported on a frame 113. The fixed connector 102 is fixed on a base plate 114 of the meter unit 100. The front end of the coupling bolt 115 is in contact with a nut 116 on the movable connector 104 side, and projections 118 on a nut support cylinder 117 are engaged in apertures 119 formed in cylinder walls surrounding the bolt.
FIG. 21 shows the state where the bolt 115 has been threaded into the nut 116 to couple the movable connector 104 to the fixed connector 102, at which time the projections 110 on the resilient arms 109 disengage from the panel portion 108 to move the movable connector 104 to the fixed connector 102. Reverse rotation of the bolt 115 decouples the connectors 102 and 104 and brings the projections 110 back into engagement with the panel portion 108.
This conventional structure, however, requires the bolts 105 for fixing the meter unit 100 to the instrument panel 101 and the bolt 115 for coupling the connectors 102, 104 together, and there is a drawback that since these bolts 105, 115 are threaded separately, the bolt threading operations are troublesome requiring many man-hours.